Celtic have been drawn against Austria's league champions LASK in the final qualifying round for a place in the Champions League group stage, while Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion will meet either Romanian outfit CFR Cluj or Norway's Tromsø in the play‑off round of the UEFA Conference League. The three European competition draws – for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League – were conducted on Monday. The fixtures also revealed the next opponents for several Scottish clubs, including Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne, as they map out their routes through the qualifying phases. Martin O'Neill's Celtic will host the first leg of their two‑legged tie against LASK on either 18 or 19 August, with the return match scheduled for 25 or 26 August.
Should the Scots lose the tie, they will not be eliminated from Europe entirely; instead they will drop straight into the Europa League group stage, giving them a safety net and another chance to compete on the continental stage. Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, will learn their fate in the Conference League play‑off round. The Seagulls will face the winner of the CFR Cluj versus Tromsø encounter, with the decisive matches set for 20 and 27 August. Brighton will host the second leg, meaning the first leg will be away.
The dates sit neatly around Brighton's domestic opening fixture, a home game against Aston Villa on 23 August that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. In Scotland, Rangers and Hearts have also discovered their Europa League play‑off opponents, should they progress from the third‑round qualifiers.
Rangers, managed by Derek McInnes, travel to Poland for the first leg against Jagiellonia Białystok on Thursday, with the return leg to be played at Ibrox the following week. If Rangers win, they will face either Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the next round, with the first leg slated for 20 August at Ibrox.
Larne, if they lose to Rangers, will be redirected into the Conference League play‑offs where they could meet teams such as Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar or Omonia Nicosia from Cyprus. Hearts, who dropped into the Europa League after a Champions League exit, have been paired with either AGF Aarhus of Denmark or Sabah of Azerbaijan in the play‑off round. The first leg will be at Tynecastle Park on 20 August, with the return leg on 27 August.
However, Hearts must first overcome Benfica in the third‑round qualifier – a tie that sees them travel to Portugal for the first leg on Thursday before returning to Edinburgh for the second leg. Both clubs are assured of another European lifeline: if they fall in the Europa League third round, they will still have a chance to qualify for the Conference League via its own play‑off round. Rangers could meet either Jablonec from the Czech Republic or RFS from Latvia, while Hearts might face Paide Linnameeskond of Estonia or Austria's SK Rapid Wien.
These contingencies have prompted both clubs to request postponements for their domestic league fixtures that fall between potential European legs. Consequently, Rangers' match against St Mirren and Hearts' trip to Falkirk have been rescheduled to avoid a clash.
Motherwell have a tantalising prospect of a Conference League play‑off tie against German Bundesliga side SC Freiburg – the same club that reached the Europa League final last season – provided they defeat HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. Alfred Johansson's Motherwell will travel to Helsinki on Wednesday, with the second leg at Fir Park on Thursday 13 August.
Hibernian, meanwhile, will contest a Conference League play‑off slot against either IFK Gothenburg or Gent if they can get past KF Shkëndija. Hibs will host Shkëndija on Thursday, with the decisive second leg on 13 August. All Conference League play‑off matches are slated for 20 and 27 August, while the Champions League and Europa League play‑offs have first legs on 18/19 August and second legs on 25/26 August. The broader schedule also lists a multitude of other ties across Europe, illustrating the depth of the qualifying landscape: - Levski Sofia or Kairat Almaty versus AEK Athens - Dinamo Zagreb or Kauno Žalgiris versus Viking FK - Mjällby or Slovan Bratislava versus Ararat-Armenia or Celje - Hapoel Be'er Sheva or Red Star Belgrade versus AGF Aarhus or Sabah - Fenerbahçe or Sturm Graz versus Sparta Prague or Lyon - Olympiakos or NEC Nijmegen versus Union Saint‑Gilloise or Bodø/Glimt - Trabzonspor versus Ferencváros or Görník Zabrze - KuPS Kuopio or Universitatea Craiova versus Ararat‑Armenia or Celje - Sint‑Truiden versus Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia - Shamrock Rovers or Egnatia versus Lillestrøm - Jagiellonia Białystok or Rangers versus Larne or Iberia 1999 Tbilisi - Lech Poznań or KI Klaksvík versus Thun or Vikingur Reykjavik - Hradec Králové or Beşiktaş versus Dinamo Zagreb or Kauno Žalgiris - Benfica or Hearts versus AGF Aarhus or Sabah - OFI Crete versus Maccabi Tel Aviv or CSKA Sofia - and many more match‑ups involving clubs from across the continent.
These fixtures set the stage for a hectic early‑season period, with clubs balancing domestic league starts, cup commitments and the high‑stakes pressure of European qualification. For Celtic, a successful navigation of the LASK tie could secure a lucrative Champions League group‑stage berth, bringing both prestige and significant financial rewards. Brighton, on the other hand, will aim to secure a place in the Conference League group stage, offering their squad valuable European experience and the chance to compete against a diverse range of opponents.
Overall, the draws underline the interconnected nature of UEFA's three competitions: a loss in one tournament often leads to a second chance in another, ensuring that clubs from Scotland, England and beyond retain a pathway to European football even after setbacks. The coming weeks will be decisive as teams prepare tactically, travel across borders and hope to lock in their places in the continental tournaments that define the modern football calendar.